CHARLOTTE, NC -- Snyder's-Lance Inc. is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Lance brand with several new product launches and improvements, along with social media giveaways.

First to mark the occasion is this month's rollout of Xtra Fulls Toastchee and Xtra Fulls Toasty, both of which contain more real peanut butter filling than their original counterparts and up to 6g. of protein per serving.

In mid-April, Lance will also unveil product extensions for its Cracker Creations, Captain's Wafers sandwich crackers and Nekot cookies.

Lance said it will also improve several products this year, including using a creamier peanut butter filling and increasing the whole grain content in many of its sandwich crackers.

The Lance brand traces its roots to 1913 when Philip L. Lance, a Charlotte, NC, food broker, turned 500 lbs. of unwanted peanuts into an entrepreneurial endeavor, selling them on the street for a nickel a bag. He soon expanded his peanut business to include peanut butter, and shortly after, the first peanut butter sandwich cracker was born.

Today, Snyder's-Lance Inc., formed by the 2012 merger of Lance and Snyders of Hanover, is the second-largest salty snack maker in the United States. Its brands include Snyder's of Hanover, Lance, Krunchers!, Cape Cod Potato Chips, Jays, Archway, O-Ke-Doke and Stella D'oro.

The Charlotte, NC, snackmaker has taken several steps to improve the nutritional makeup of its products in recent years. In 2004, Lance eliminated trans fat from its products. In 2008, the company removed high-fructose corn syrup from all of its sandwich crackers. Lance added whole grain sandwich crackers and 100-calorie pouches to its product line in 2009. Its most recent product launch was Cracker Creations, a line of premium, all-natural sandwich crackers, in 2011.

As part of its centennial celebration, Lance will host the "100 Days to Win Snack Challenge" sweepstakes. It will launch on March 11 on the Lance Snacks Facebook page and at Happy100Lance.com and run through June. Consumers can take daily "Snacking Challenges" for a chance to win instant and weekly prizes, in addition to the $100,000 grand prize to fulfill their ultimate birthday wish.